“A self-coup (or autocoup) is a form of putsch or coup d’état in which a nation’s leader, despite having come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and unlawfully assumes extraordinary powers, not granted under normal circumstances. Other measures taken may include annulling the nation’s constitution and suspending civil courts. In most cases the head of government becomes a dictator.”

The USL coalition, with Victor Ponta (acused of being a plagiarizer by Nature) and Crin Antonescu as leaders, dismissed the Romanian Ombudsman, then they took over the leading of the Parliament (from the PDL party, which no longer have the majority in the Parliament). There is a concerted attack against the Constitutional Court now, which is the last institution which can still block this coup.

“I am deeply concerned about any attempt to threaten the independence of Romania’s democratic institutions. Manipulation or threats to your institutions particularly your courts will not only be of concern to our government but to the way Romania is viewed by financial markets. We have had unfortunate experience in the United States with “court packing” when President Roosevelt tried to change the composition of our Supreme Court when he became unhappy with some of its decisions. These acts were universally condemned. It was a dark day in an otherwise great presidency and it will be a dark day in Romanian history if the same comes to pass here.”

PERSPECTIVE: on 28.06.12 Joseph Daul, the Chairman of the EPP group in the European Parliament, made this press release:

“My message to the Romanian Prime Minister is that nobody is above the law. Laws are created to be respected, not changed when they do not serve the interest of the Prime Minister. I call on him to respect the Romanian people and its institutions. I also remind him that, in accordance with European standards and now clearly-established jurisprudence, the Romanian Prime Minister cannot head a government of a European Union country if he has committed fraud in obtaining his university degree. This affair must be clarified as soon as possible, as it is not only the credibility of a Member State that is at stake, but the credibility of the European Union as a whole. I hope that he is not going to change a law or threaten officials in the investigating Committee in an attempt to cover up his alleged fraud.”